The Young America’s Foundation hosted Sarah Palin in Santa Barbara, CA to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth. I was thrilled when I was hired to photograph her private tour of Rancho del Cielo, Ronald Reagan’s Ranch. There was an entourage of private security agents and highway patrol officers, but besides all of them it was a very small group for her visit.
Here’s an image of Palin with her daughters Bristol and Willow and her son Trig. They are on the front porch of Reagan’s ranch, with the table in the background where Reagan signed the largest tax cut in American History:
One of the neatest aspects of her visit was a horseback ride with one of Ronald Reagan’s former Secret Service agents, John Barletta. He took Palin on a private ride on the same trails he would ride on with Reagan.
John Barletta is a fantastic story teller. It’s a real pleasure to hear his recounts of his experiences! He has written a neat book called, ‘Riding with Reagan: From the White House to the Ranch‘ if anyone is curious!.jpg "IMG_9148")
The ranch is on the top of a mountain and in the days of Reagan’s presidency, there was a helicopter pad at the very top. In this spot, on one side you can see the ocean, and the other side overlooks the rolling hills and vineyards of the Santa Ynez Valley…. It’s hard to describe how gorgeous this view is…but it was fun to see Palin soaking it in:
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I’m not getting into the politics of things, and for that reason I’ve been lucky enough to photograph all sides of the political spectrum…from Ann Coulter and Newt Gingrich, to Presidents Obama and Bill Clinton…but all of those events were public. This experience was one of a kind and I feel lucky to have been present!
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